Anybodys: Someone to Comfort Me
by SophieAmber
Summary: A sequel to the stage version of West Side Story, the story of Anybodys and what happens to her after Tony dies. Rated R for child abuse in later chapters, (however Chapter 1 is PG)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I, Sophie don't own any of the following characters/songs whatever because a) I'm not Stephen Sondheim and b) If I did I'd be basking in my luxury jaccuzzi somewhere in Barbados, counting my diamonds and not writing fanfics for which I earn N

{Disclaimer: I, Sophie don't own any of the following characters/songs whatever because a) I'm not Stephen Sondheim and b) If I did I'd be basking in my luxury jaccuzzi somewhere in Barbados, counting my diamonds and not writing fanfics for which I earn NOTHING. Etc. Enjoy. (Well actually, I don't want you to enjoy this. I want you to cry. But hey. For those of you who've only seen the film of WSS, this is based on the play my drama group are performing, and what could have happened afterwards. Guess who I played?)]

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I loved Tony. I always loved him. I thought he was my friend. He stood up for me when we were little. And I loved him. I guess I always sorta knew but it's only now it really hit me. Squatting in a corner of the playground, hidden in the shadows. Oh, I loved him. 

Riff, wow, Riff was amazing, my hero since we were little kids, but it's awful…cos when he moved into Tony's apartment with Tony's family, Tony didn't care 'bout me anymore. They left me out. All the time. I helped them start the Jets, it wuz like a game me and Tony had, but then Riff muscles in, and I'm out. Huh. I was Tony's best friend. Before Riff, it was Me. And Him. No-one else. 

Then they start letting the other kids join. Only boys. Dan. Peter. Jay Rabboni. And they gave them all new names. Action, Peter and A-Rab. It sounds sorta stupid now, but I wanted a new name too. You needed a new name to belong._ O.K, so I wuz a girl. So? But they wouldn't give me a new name. They laughed, called me my real name. I can't say it. It makes me wanna puke. PUKE. Well, I'm gonna go kill myself anyway. So I might as well tell ya. _Lulamae. _Isn't it awful? A hick name. Irish hick. Mickhick. That's what they called me, said I wasn't American enough. Not a proper Yank. Which wasn't fayr as A-rab's a jew, and most of 'em had European blood through an' through. Germanic. And Tony was a Polak! I tried to tell 'em, but it didn't matter, Tony was a man, and he wuz Riff's friend, so I always had to cut out and keep schtum. Boy, it hurt. _

Oh, yeah, eventually I got my new name. I had tried to act like a boy for so long, then one day I went to find them in the playground, and there was Riff with lousy Velma on his knee. Girls! They had let GIRLS in the gang! A few months ago I shoulda been pleased. Real girls, maybe this wuz a chance for me. But I'd changed. If I couldn't be a boy, I was goddamn gonna look like one. I threw out my dresses, walked tough, tried to learn baseball, and…I cut off my hair. My beautiful red hair. Long and thick and glowing in the sunlight. I took some scissors, and in the early morning, I stood in front of the long mirror, and cut it all off. Handfuls of straight red, glowing hair fell. I cried so hard, when it was all gone. Buried my face in the handfuls, and sobbed. The little pieces of hair looked fragile, and I tried to cradle them to me. Like a baby, rocking them backwards and forwards.. ridiculous they were only hair, but I talked to them, telling them I still loved them, and it would be alright. I thought I was trying to comfort them. When what I really wanted was someone to comfort me.

My head felt cold and light, and by the time I had to go an' face the music, I wuz more scared than anything else. Then I met Tony in the passage. His family had the apartment next to ours. He stopped, and smiled. "Wow, Lula." He ran his hand over the shingled skull. "You're lookin' pretty cool." I almost flew down the stairs. That wuz the first time since Riff had arrived that I'd gotten acceptance off anyone! But it didn't last. Tony got a job. But not before I had my name.

It wasn't lousy Velma who gave it me. It was Graziella, that low-down no-count little trash with the tacky dyed hair. She thought I had a crush on Action. They had a fight about me. I was there. She pushed me back and forth, throwing me at Action. At first, he tried to be kind, and protect me, but Graziella was venemous. Insane with fury, I reckoned. So he knew he couldn't protect me anymore. 

"Have her!" Graziella kept screaming. Action grabbed me by the shoulders. I'd been crying before, but by then I was thirteen, and I'd learnt to stay silent when I was beaten. Not insolent, not like it didn't hurt, but silent. Sayin stuff only made them madder and you sorrier in the long run. So I hung my head and told my mind to go blank. I didn't even pray. If you pray they just get angrier. 

"I don't want her!" Action shouted, his teeth gritted fiercely. I had my back to him, but I knew he was mad. Graziella tossed her head, eyes flashing.

"Why not? She'd make you a nice little whore-she's ANYBODY'S!" Then suddenly, she laughed. A long cruel laugh, that lousy Velma, Minnie and all the other little groupies joined in.

"Ooblee-oo. Yessiree, I think the little head case just got her new name." They all laughed. Not Action.

"Whaddya say, daddy-o?" she simpered, a vein of poison barely concealed behind her words. He had to agree.

"Yeah," he eventually agreed without emotion. He dropped me, and I stumbled. His hand went out to steady me, then retracted it as Graziella glowered. They all smirked, and left together. I just stood where I was, head bowed, and let them pass. Anybody's. But they were wrong.

I wasn't Anybody's. I never got the chance, I desperately wanted to be Somebody's, but it was never gonna happen. More like Nobody's.

And that's what I am now. Because He's dead. Over the last two days I've watched everything and everyone I love change and die. Riff died in my arms last night. Velma and Graziella will never forgive me for that. I don't stand a chance against their malice. Oh, Riff. My darling Riff. For once I didn't fight. The moment I saw him drop, I went to him. He was covered in blood, and I don't know whether he knew I was there, but I was. I held him, and while the sirens blared, I used all the words I'd never dared to use to any boy, in case they laughed. My darling Riff, oh my sweet, sweet Riff. You took Tony from me, but I always loved you cos Tony did. And he was so brave. And I had to love who Tony loved, don't I?

But not her, not Maria. If she'd stuck to Chino, he'd still be here. Now, I guess I know how Velma musta felt, if she loved Riff, when she knew I'd been the one to hold him. He died with me. ME. 

And Tony, oh, Tony, you died with HER. Why didn't you come with me? I tried so hard to save you. I woulda done anything. I should justa followed you. I woulda taken the bullet for you, any day. What would it matter if I died? But you mattered, to me, and to her. But she was the one who mattered to you. I would have followed ya, but I was so hurt, and so scared. You shook me hard, and it hurt. I thought you were my friend. You were always so sweet and gentle. But then they said that about Chino too.

What's gonna happen to them-us-the Jets now? Now, ok, I'm accepted, but just as soon as I get someone to love…Action…. I'm to scared to even try. Everything I touch, I ruin. I kill. Well, the way I'm going, Action'll be lucky if he makes it another hour. I don't care 'bout the stupid gang anyway. Tony was right. It isn't just a game anymore. Damn Chino. Damn Chino. Damn them all. 

I just wanna lie here, and die. I'll be safe here. It's cold, and it's dark, but it's the spot where He died. Even the streetlights are down. This is the last place He ever wuz, and if I lie here too, it sorta means we're still together. Spirits are meanta haunt the place they die. Well, maybe if I stay here long enough, I can haunt around here too. So I'll be with him forever. The wind is whistling, there's a low, cold sound. If I close my eyes tightly, and curl up into a ball against the tarmac, I can pretend its his arms around me, and not my own. That I'm dying in his arms, and that he's here, loving me and comforting me, and whatever I do, he won't go. That I'm safe, and loved. I can pretend that the wind is his voice whispering in my ear, that we're sharing secrets, and our own songs. That he's calling my name, and for the first time, it seems beautiful in his tenderness. I know just how it would sound, too. Lula. Lula. Lulamae. 


	2. Anita

anybodys2

"Get up." Anybodys blinked, and half-opened her eyes. The glare from the streetlights, now back on, made her feel nauseous and dizzy. The right-hand side of her body, the one pressed painfully against the ground felt dead. The left hand side of her felt cold, and when she tried to turn to see who was addressing her, a stabbing pain shot through it. Her head ached, from a mixture of dehydration and cold. Her tears, all cried out, had stained and tightened her cheeks. Her hair was matted against her right ear. Her clothes were grimy, although not noticeably more so than when she had lain down. She shaded her eyes from the glare of the lamp, and squinted, open-mouthed up at the stranger. 

Suddenly, she recoiled in fear. It was the PR girl she and the other Jets had attacked earlier at Doc's. _The one who'd been goin' with the Shark boss, the one Tony… Tony killed._ Anybodys gulped, and slid away. 

The girl didn't move. The urchin lying on the playground floor paused. Why didn't Anita, or whatever her name was just get on with it and kill her? Slightly emboldened, she peered up and took a proper look at the figure's face. She, too was filthy. Layers of grime on her cheeks and eyes set her bone structure into stark relief, along with the whites of her eyes. Which, surprisingly didn't look _mad_. They looked sullen, tired even. But not defeated. And not a foe Anybodys wanted to wrangle with. Again, without looking up, Anita murmured; "Get up." Blinking, Anybodys did, scrambling ungracefully to her feet, eyes locked on Anita's tear-stained face. She stood, feeling painfully self-conscious in the face of Anita's awesome dignity. Anita inclined her head sideways, eyes still fixed on the ground.

"Come with me." She said, her voice authoritarian. A memory stirred in Anybodys' tired, cold mind. She raised her head, and sneered openly at her.

"Why should I?" There was a silent pause. Anybodys swallowed. "You said Maria was dead." 

Anita looked sharply at her, and although her gaze was piercing, it wasn't accompanied by the violent blow she expected. Her next words were a low hiss.

"And you and your Jet buddies tried to rape me." Anita turned slightly towards her, and Anybodys shrank away, shielding her head. No attack came. Instead, when she looked back, Anita's hand was outstretched.

"Vaminos. Tell me, when did you last go home?" Anybodys got up. 

"I don't know-the rumble, or the day before. Not since before the dance.." Anita closed her eyes as if in pain.

"You should go home." 

"I'm not going." Anybodys held Anita's gaze for a long moment. Anita nodded with understanding. She stretched her hand out further.

"Good," she said swiftly. "Then you come with me." 

Anybodys frowned, and looked at Anita narrowly. Then, finding no deception in her brown eyes, she took her hand. 

They walked back through the playground, retracing Anybodys' steps along the streets. Tears were welling in Anybodys' downcast eyes, and as they passed Doc's, she let out a strangled sob. Anita halted abruptly, and turned round with her arms out. Anybodys darted away, defensively. Then, she too halted, and bowed her head, waiting to be hit. Anita gasped.

"Santa Maria," she whispered. "You really do think I gonna hit you?" Anybodys looked up slowly.

"I don't know," she hissed in a low, fierce voice. "And- and," A choke robbed her tone of its menace, and she pressed her right palm to her forehead. "I don't much care…how can I now?" She gestured weakly towards the darkened, empty drugstore with her free hand, and looked like she might collapse. Anita rushed forwards and took her protectively in her arms. The child-for that was how Anita thought of the little Yank urchin, was scrawny, and desolate. At first she arched her back in distrust, then slumped against Anita's embrace. Then she cried, long and hard.

"Anita…he's gone, he's gone. And Riff, poor Riff, but Tony hurts more.. he always looked out fer me, till he left…. And now he's gone.. dead, right there on the ground, with HER, and I coulda stopped him, I tried to stop him.. all the guys'll blame me. But whadda I care? He's gone, Riff's gone, and it's all my fault…" She buried her face in Anita's shoulder. "I'm scared. What's gonna happen to me? I don't wanna live no more. But I'm still scared of dying."

"Hush. Hush," Anita soothed, holding the little one tightly against her. "Don't worry. Don't be scared. Just cry." She jerked her head back towards the PR side of town, and gave a rueful smile. "I got one back there who won't cry. Can't. It's nice to see some good healthy grief for a change." Her mood changed as she stroked Anybody's hair.

"You loved him, didn't you? Like I loved Bernardo." She asked gently. Anybodys nodded. Anita let out a long sigh. "I know," she whispered, and began to walk with her again. "C'mon. I'm taking you home with me."


	3. Kate

Anybodys wasn't afraid as she and Anita walked through the PR quarter of the tenements. A few hours earlier, when she had ran like a she-devil through the area lookin' for Tony, she ain't been scared then. Well, only a little. But her main feeling had been desperation. She had heard Chino and the other Shark guys talking, and felt sick. Her first and last instinct was to keep Tony safe. But, she had failed, and now she felt nothing. Except a little relief. The streets were empty; even the shadows she did double-takes on contained nobody.

"Where is everyone?" she asked her. "Where'd they go after the playground. I didn't stay-" she explained.

"Who could blame you? Neither did I." Anybodys looked at Anita incredulously. 

"You were there?! I never saw ya."

"You weren't meant to. I didn't want to be seen.." her words died away, and she pulled her shawl tighter around her. Anybodys shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

"Lissen. Anita, I'm sorry 'bout in the drugstore…" she kept her eyes on the ground. There was a pause.

"Accepted. I am sorry about Riff." She touched a gold locket hanging around her neck. "We both are." She opened it gently and showed Anybodys a picture of Bernardo displayed there lovingly. Anybodys reached out to the minature and traced its outline with a grimy finger.

"You're lucky," she said quietly. "You have something to remember the man you loved with." Anita took Anybodys fiercely by the shoulders.

"I don't need any trinket to remember my love by! And neither do you. You've got your heart and your head, and that's all you need. Look!" She unfastened the locket and threw it savagely down the drain. Anybodys gasped. Anita stared after it for a moment, then hugged Anybodys again.

"You see? Now we're even. All I have, querida, is memories now. And you are the same." 

"I can't go on…" Anybodys murmured weakly. Anita touched her face gently.

"Yes you can. Women can always go on. They always do." Anybodys shrugged.

"I ain't no woman. Lookit me. I'm Anybodys." 

Anita looked at the petite, bruised figure with something akin to pity. Her clothes were baggy, yet skimpy, designed to conceal the body she obviously loathed. Her hair was cut into an uneven shingle, her fringe long and straggly. Half a pigtail hang erratically down one side of her head. A band dangling loosely in another lock of red, straight, tangled hair implied the pigtail may once have had a twin. She looked like a grubby, neglected child, wholly infantile, yet somehow pubsecent. Her eyes told another story. _What has happened to you?_ Anita thought. She was clearly fearless when it came to defending others, but when she feared violence, shied away. Or worse, just waited to be hit. All the fight seemed to have left her. But she would regain it again, Anita decided. She pointed out an apartment several floors up in a nearby building. 

"There. That's your home now, Lulamae." 

"Don't call me that." 

"It is your name."

"Uh-uh. That's the name of a little girl who lived a long time ago."

Anita smiled. The sensation was unfamiliar. "Very well. I have many names. What is your second name?"

"Don't have one."

"You do, but you are not ready to tell me, I see. Very well. I am Anita Josefina Teresita Beatrice del Carmen.."

"Stop!" Anybodys cried. "Carmen."

"And?" Anita asked, raising one eyebrow.

"My full name is now Carmen Kate." Anybodys said firmly. Anita laughed into the empty air. 

"Not Carmen-yet. Kate." She smiled again, and opened the front door of the building. "Welcome home, Kate."


	4. Anybodys Again

Anita led the way up endless staircases, looking neither to right nor left. The stairwells and corridors were deserted, and dark. _Man,_ Anybodys thought, feeling her way through the darkness, _is this how the PRs have ter live? And we thought they were stealin' our cash._ She stole a glance at Anita, walking purposefully ahead, head high. Anybodys – Kate – tried to copy her, standing as tall as she could, head up. The shadows didn't seem as scary. Eventually, Anita stopped, and knocked on a shabby door. A Spanish voice called suspiciously from the other side, unfamiliar and saddened.

"Anita." Anita replied to the torrent of words indecipherable to Anybodys. The door opened, and a beautiful, red-eyed Puerto Rican girl Anybodys dimly recognised came out, her arms outstretched to Anita.

"Anita… por favor, come through, make her eat; she won't eat, doesn't cry… we have been so worried, where were y-" She halted abruptly as she saw the Jet girl. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"This is Katie" Anita said, looking the Shark girl straight in the eye. "Rosalia-Katie."

"She's a Jet," Rosalia replied fearfully. "And her name was Anybodys."

"That is all over. After tonight, no-one is the same. She needs a new name." Anita told her firmly. "Have you forgotten so soon?" Rosalia backed away, timidly hiding behind the door.

"Anita, I can't let her in." She hissed. "What would 'Nardo-"

"If Nardo had seen what I have seen tonight, he would open that door and lay out a red carpet for her." Anita responded forcefully. Rosalia shrugged.

"All right." She opened the door, and Anita strode through. Kate followed, as nervous as Rosalia.

Inside, Puerto Rican girls sat in little groups around the small room, holding hands, talking fitfully in whispers. They all stopped, and turned to stare at Katie as she entered behind Anita. Some got up, and for a second Kat wanted to turn and run. Then she took a deep breath, and squared up. 

"Hi." She didn't attempt to sound Spanish, it would only sound false and patronising. "I'm Kate." A little girl of about three or four appeared, looking sceptically at Kate from underneath her black lashes. Suddenly, her face relaxed into a smile.

"Buenos noches." She greeted Katie shyly. Kate's heart melted.

"Buenos noches," she repeated. The little girl wrinkled her nose in pleasure, and grinned at the others around the room. Some of the others smiled back, at both of them. 

"Buenos noches," Anita said happily from behind them both. Katie stood up suddenly, not recognising her voice. "Hey, chica, it's all right," she said soothingly as Kate shied. _Like a beaten colt, _Anita thought. She looked around her.

"Where are the boys?" she asked a PR girl nearby, glancing over her shoulder as she drew the little girl onto her lap

"I don't know-" she said fearfully, then stopped at a look from Anita. "All right. They've gone to meet the Jet boys." Anita whirled around, the child in her arms.

"WHAT? Have they learnt nothing? Another fight?" The little girl tugged hard on a lock of Anita's straggly hair.

"No fight. _Anton muerto_, Maria go with them, see Action-no fight." She gabbled, half in Spanish, half in heavily accented English. Anita sank back into a chair.

"Gracias." She kissed the child's forehead. "I know _Anton muerto,_ but…" Her words died away, as if even now, there would be no peace. Katie looked at her; she had seemed so certain there would be peace. Suddenly, a hot current of anger ran through her. The child slid off her lap and darted away.

"The Jet boys want peace _too._" She insisted, folding her arms in her old characteristic way. "You don't think they want to see another Tony, do you?" she snapped. Anita looked up defensively.

"Well, maybe if Tony hadn't killed 'Nardo, he'd still be here,"

"Maybe if Chino hadn't SHOT Tony, you mean?"

"Tony killed the one person I loved more than anyone else.."

"Chino and Nardo did the same for me-" Anita sprung up, her face inches away from Kate's, her eyes blazing. Kate's hazel eyes smouldered with hatred, Anita's with rage. "and one day, I'll avenge both of them. Riff and Tony. With Chino's blood." A slow, demonaic smile flickered over her mouth, and Anita went white with fury. Katie was Anybodys again, spurred on by Anita's visible weakness. Her knuckles were clenched, and she curved her eyebrows sinuously into silky crescents of mock fear. 

"Go on," she whispered, her voice high, "hit me."Anita paused momentarily, then swung her hand round, and delivered a colossal blow to Anybodys' face. Anybodys eyes widened, and she fell, clutching her face. There were shouts of horror from around the room, loud, but not powerful enough to stop the raining kicks and blows to Anybodys' sides and legs. She bit her lip tightly to keep from screaming, and sobbed silently as Anita clawed and kicked at her, talons outstretched and golden like a wild bird of prey. Her hair stood out like black and red feathers around her head, and the acres of material in her red dress billowed violently like beating wings. All the while, her hoarse cries of cursing rage filled Anybodys ears, mounting as her victim's lack of reaction infuriated her. The little girl was screaming somewhere in the background. Suddenly, Anita launched herself at her victim, slapping her with brutal strokes. Anybodys buried her face in her hands, but Anita prized her fingers away, and struck her face malevolently. She was taking everything out on this bleeding child, whose red blood now stained her fingernails and dress. A candlestick hit her shoulder, and Anybodys collapsed. A stinging blow to her eyes left her senseless for a moment, and Anita seized the child by her shoulders. 

"Anita-no! Por favor!" Rosalia was begging. "She is only a child!" 

"Whore!" Anita screeched, ignoring her."You are not worth half what Chino and Nardo are!" Anybodys head slumped dizzily. Anita yowled and savagely threw her against the wall. There was a terrible crack, and blood poured down Anybody's neck. She fell like a broken doll, staring up at Anita and Rosalia with glazed, unfocused eyes. Her limbs were twisted at impossible angles, and Rosalia backed away in horror.

"She's dead!" She whispered, and crossed herself. Anita shook her head.

"Don't be silly," she said uncertainly, looking with repulsion at her bloodstained hands. Then Anybodys' chest rose and fell in a laboured breath. Anita sighed heavily, and tears filled her eyes.

"Oh, thank God," she whispered, hunched. Anybodys raised herself shakily onto one elbow, her head lolling, trembling. Anita reached out, and Anybodys recoiled in terror. "N-no, it's all right-wait!" Anybodys shook her head, and began to crawl towards the window. Anita plunged after her.

"Get away from her!" Consuela, the blonde Puerto Rican cried, holding Anita back. "Do you want her to die here?" Anita looked at her in shock. There was a calculating glint in her eyes. Anita moaned. Anybodys tested her legs like a wounded animal, the blood pouring down her skull. She fell through the window, and crawled clumsily onto the fire escape, half-blinded and terrified. 

"Kate…I'm sorry…" Anita called.

"Let her go," Rosalia murmured.

"Let me go," echoed Anybodys, crawling to the edge of the staircase. It was four floors down. If she jumped, she'd die. Death seemed a welcome prospect, now, betrayed, crippled and bleeding. She heaved herself to the edge, and looked down, her cheek pressed against the cold metal. Her tears dripped into the black void. If she could just roll over, there would be a single second of horror, then… 

She took a last, brave breath and steeled herself to roll. Suddenly, she heard the Jet whistle, carried on the night air. She froze. It came again. She reached back towards the wall, and found a hook. Unable to move her right hand, she let it hang dully, but grasped the hook with her left, drawing herself into the wall. 

"Help," she murmured. "Please, someone. Help!" she repeated, calling through the slatted floor. A figure appeared from the shadows. She squinted, and repeated the message, her breath coming in sucking gasps. The boy looked up, and the light from the window illuminated his face.

"Action," Anybodys wept, "Action, oh, Action Action Action," Repeating his name like a madwoman, she stretched her good hand down towards him.

"Anybodys?" he asked incredulously. "What's happened to you? Did someone-" 

"Shhh!" Anybodys begged, waving her hand violently. "Please, just come help me… I can't get down! I'm scared… I think I'm hurt.." 

"All right, stay still, don't worry-" As quietly and swiftly as he could, he climbed the escape, cautiously shining a flashlight. As the full glare hit her, he recoiled in horror. She was lying twisted on the escape, her head closest to him. Her right hand hung limply over the edge, and her left was stretched towards him. Blood was pouring from an open wound in her skull, and her forehead was blackened with grime and contusions. One eye was half closed, and her neck was swollen where it met her shoulders. Her clothes were ripped, and blood trickled down her back. Lashings had slit her top, and her bony spine peeped through, blood fusing the torn material to her white skin. Only the few inches around her mouth seemed clear. Anybodys had never seen Action display much emotion, but now he looked like he would cry. She cried too, tears squeezing from the corner of her swollen sockets. He climbed up beside her, and gently placed one hand under her hips, and one round her shoulders. She winced, but managed to throw her left arm around his neck. All without a word. Little by little, he inched her into his arms, when a voice came from the room above. The effect on Anybodys was horrendous.

"No-no," she pleaded, turning white, and tossing convulsively in his arms. Fear made her tremble, and Action seized her protectively, aware she was now oblivious to the pain as she writhed. 

"It's all right. It's over, I'll get ya outa here," he promised, climbing back down the escape, her frantic twistings dangerously overbalancing them both. Without another word, he somehow made it to the bottom, and plunged across the streets, a dog barking savagely from a nearby yard. Finally, they made it into an alleyway dark enough to protect them; then, and only then was she calm enough to talk. Action cradled her like a baby in his arms, mingled respect and pity filling his heart. What had happened to her? She was obviously in agony, yet not a word came from her lips as he rocked her backwards and forwards. All she did was press her cheek to the soft whiteness of his shirt, and heave in silent grief. He dabbed at the horrific skull wound with a strip from his shirt, and softly questioned her.

"C'mon, Anybodys, who did it? You can tell me, it's O.K," She shook her head, and stared sadly up at him.

"I…can't," 

"Anybodys, please, I have to know." He coaxed, stroking her hair tenderly. Pure hatred filled his soul as he looked down at her tiny, broken, body. He would kill the bastard who'd done this to her, or die himself. Suddenly, his control broke, and he pressed a kiss onto her lips. She recoiled in fear, not at the kiss itself, but his sudden swoop.

"Please…don't…" She wept. Action's heart filled with rage, as he misinterpreted what had just happened.

"Did one of the PR boys-" Anybodys broke down utterly at the word PR, sending Action into a murderous hatred as his suspicions were apparently confirmed.

"Dirty Spic! I'll kill 'em. Kill 'em," he muttered, grinding his teeth. Gently, he guided her head to his shoulder. "I'll get him, don't worry…"

"No! Stay with me," Anybodys murmured, pressing herself against him. She was safe.

"Whatever you want, I'll do," Action promised, unknowingly echoing his dead friend's words to Maria. 

"Hold me," She replied, relaxing slightly in his protective embrace. He went to kiss her again, then remembered. As gently as he could, he enveloped her in his arms, then looked at the blood congealing in her hair.

"Wait," he murmured, and deftly tore a sleeve of his shirt, winding it round her wound. She smiled weakly.

"Thankyou, Action." Her eyes closed, and she slumped against his chest. 

"No…don't leave me, stay awake," he began frantically, stumbling to his feet, the serene smile still playing on her closed lips. With a howl of fear, he began to run, faster than he had ever run before, back towards the safety of his own streets.. and Doc's drugstore. The supposedly "peaceful" meeting was on at the gym. But he had to get her to Doc…he'd know what to do, wouldn't he? After all, he…he was a grown-up.


	5. Somebody's......

Anybodys5

"Doc! Doc! Where the hell are you? Lemme in!" Doc walked slowly up from the cellar, black circles under his eyes and hair dishevelled. An empty bottle was in one hand, and his blue eyes stared unseeingly. He didn't notice the din from outside the door till he was almost at the counter. Suddenly, he turned, and looked up.

"Action," he murmured hazily under his breath, staring at the floor as if to re-focus his mind. Fractionally faster, he went to the door, and cautiously unlocked it. 

"Doc! For God's sake, you have ter do something! I found her on a fire escape, round in the PR quarter-DOC-quit starin' and help her!"Action rushed through the door and laid Anybodys down on a table. With a curse of exasperation, he plunged round the back of the counter and started ransacking the boxes there. "You got bandanges? Hey, Doc, you got bandages?" He finally found them, and grabbing a box, filled a nearby bucket with water from the back basin tap. Trembling, he snatched a cloth from the counter and turned, ready to tend Anybodys. He halted abruptly. Doc was crying. With his back to Action, he stood over the young girl , head in his hands, shoulders heaving as he wept. 

"Doc," Action murmured, surprised. The bandages in one hand, he crept quietly up to the older man, and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know her-who is she? What have they done to her? She's dead… like Tony…who is she?" Action drew closer, and gently dipped the cloth into the cold water. Silently, he began, very gently, to wash away the blood disfiguring her face and clothes. She stirred very slightly, and Doc gasped as her face became familiar.

"See?" Action whispered. "You remember her. Anybodys. The tomboy… the one who tried to save Tony. You remember? She liked you. You called her a lady." Doc was shaking his head.

"Tony… she tried to save Tony. The little girl!" He understood now, and the colour and feeling poured back into his face. "That fearless little waif! My girl. She's not dead… she won't die. Any saviour of Tony's… quit standin' there, Action, help me get her cleaned up!" Furiously, he grabbed a pair of scissors and began to cut the seams of her jeans as far as the thigh. The wounds below were raw and sticky. Undeterred, he unwrapped the bandages and began to clean her, hands moving almost too quickly for the naked eye to see. Action marvelled a moment, then joined in, replacing the now scarlet strips from his shirt with clean dressings. Doc glanced momentarily at the discarded rags, then at Action's ripped shirt. But, he said nothing, never pausing in his efforts to heal her. Only when they removed her overshirt, revealing a tiny slip stained with blood from the cruellest of Anita's lashings did he halt. 

"Holy Mary," he breathed, looking at the cruelly jagged lacerations forking her skin. "Who's done this to her?"

"The Spics." Action spat. Doc sighed, set down the bandages and lent on the table.

"I thought that was over. After Tony- after the playground, you all left together." Action scowled.

"We did. Maria took us all off for a meetin', at the gym. But there was Tony lyin' on the ground, and I couldn't hack it."

"I thought you all wanted peace. I thought you'd _learnt," _Doc cried despairingly. Action darted away from him around the table, his eyes intense.

"Don't blame me! While I was _trying_ to learn, some no-count, gold-toothed half-breed Spic was tryin' to rape her!" Anybodys moaned fitfully, and Action went to his knees, cradling her head and torso. While he murmured to her, Doc took a long look at her injuries, and the blood spreading steadily through the bandages, forming rusty patches on the tabletop. 

"Now, look." He said with a quiet firmness. "You and I can't save her. We gotta take her to a hospital."

"NO!" Action gathered her into his arms and backed away, his face white with fear. Doc wrung his hands.

"Action, think! If she has been … well, raped, she'll need a proper doctor…a woman one too," he insisted. Action shivered, and held her tighter as he sank into a chair.

"I don't wanna give her to strangers, Doc. She's only got me." He said in a small voice, sounding like a lost child. _And you've only got her,_ Doc thought, walking shakily to the counter. He had to think clearly, and it hurt. If they took the girl to hospital, and she dies, which she could do easily, Action would never forgive either of them, and Anybodys might just suffer more. He glanced back, and for a second his heart stopped. He had seen that pose; lover cradling loved one as blood flowed and life ebbed, earlier tonight, and for a moment he could have sworn it was Tony's still, bloodied face that lay upturned before him. No, he decided, striding purposefully towards them. The cruellest thing he could do to either of the kids now would be to separate them. Whether the girl died or not. He looked the boy straight in the eye.

"If she's worse in the morning, I take her, with or without your help." He vowed to Action. Action sighed with relief.

"Thanks, Doc." He managed a watery grin, then to Doc's amazement, buried his head in Anybody's shoulder and sobbed. Doc stared-the toughest, most aggressive Jet he'd ever seen..in tears? His heart melted, and he walked forwards and embraced him. 

"C'mon. Let's take her upstairs. She'll be better off in bed." Action nodded, and sniffed noisily, getting to his feet with the bandaged waif still in his arms. "That way." He gestured through a nearby door, and held it open as Action carried her through. Almost as an afterthought, Doc walked back across the store and bolted the door. It was still dark outside, and the streets were empty. The clock told him it would soon be dawn. A new day. And a new pair of star-crossed lovers needing his help. He half-smiled, and in the last light before he darkened the room, took a faded snapshot from his pocket, and studied it lovingly in the gloom. A round-faced, red-haired girl smiled up at him in sepia, her jade eyes still sparkling although the print was faded. Doc returned her grin, lines of past happiness crinkling around his eyes as he turned off the last lamp and gently returned the red-haired beauty to his coat. _I never had a Maria, it's true,_ he reflected, strolling gently towards the apartment stairs, _but that doesn't mean I've never been in love. Never had a Maria, but what does it matter? I had _Kathleen. 


	6. Anyone Can Dream

Anyone Can Dream

Anyone Can Dream

_Author's note; Apologies if anyone finds this chapter difficult to follow, it jumps around a lot, I know!_

"Get some sleep," Doc said, for the twentieth time in two hours. Action looked up sleepily.

"I ain't tired," he said, stifling a yawn. "Besides, it's nearly morning. She needs me." Doc patted his shoulder.

"Action, she ain't going nowhere. I'll watch her. Just twenty minutes sleep and you'll feel fine." He spread his hands wide. "You can even sleep in that chair if you want!" Action sat up slowly and stiffly, then lay back in the chair, one arm still stretched onto the bed.

"Promise you'll wake me if-" he began, eyes closing fast. Doc chuckled.

"I promise. Say, there's a blanket in the.." Action was already asleep. Doc chuckled again, and brought a blanket from a nearby cupboard, identical to the one covering Anybodys, who lay on the rickety bed. Gently, he spread it over the exhausted boy, and settled down to keep an eye on the patient. Anybodys, clean and bandaged, lay asleep on the bed. She'd half woken several times, always delusional. Her cries brought Action running, but she hardly knew he was there. The bruises on her forehead and neck were horrific, but less grotesque when cleansed of the black grime clogging them. 

She was dressed in a man's shirt now; Doc had ordered Action outside, and gently changed her overshirt and bloodied slip for a top of his own. It swamped her, but concealed the wounds to her neck. A cold compress rested on her eyes, easing the swelling and bleeding. She gave a gentle moan as Doc watched her. Still asleep, Action's outstretched hand instinctively reached for hers. Doc wiped his eyes, and blinked blearily as the first grey bars of light filtered through the blue curtains. Soon, he too was asleep. 

~~~~~

__

I have to find her… where did she go? We looked out onto the escape, she wasn't there…. Have I caused another death…. Tony was my fault, does Maria know? Where is Maria… It's almost light, why isn't she home, Santa Maria, we have the funerals_ to get through soon…Riff, Nardo, Tony, maybe _Kate,_ oh…. Nardo, where are you, why did you leave me? Let me sleep…._

She was running, running through a black haze of fog and nightmare, an endless tunnel. She tried to turn, knew dimly Nardo was behind her, but couldn't turn, couldn't stop… even when she stood still, the clouds of black pulled her onwards… or was it pushed? In front of her was a dead end, a colossal wall of blackness, waiting for her. Closer, and closer, it stretched out towards her. She cried out, but still the ground moved, and still the blackness claimed her… suddenly she could turn! She whirled around, and saw, far far away, Nardo, standing in silhouette at the end of the tunnel. With one almighty leap, she threw herself towards him, but he didn't move towards her. The blackness reached up, the moving ground was no longer solid, and in a sickening moment, she knew she was falling….falling…..

Suddenly, she landed on her back, got up, turned around. A black wasteland stretched before her…then she knew. She was under the highway! Two figures lay apart on the ground, still and silent. Blood was everywhere. She raced to the one nearest. Nardo! She raised his head, but the face was Riff's… She cried out, and dropped him, but when she turned around, the other body was gone. She turned back, and where Riff lay, now Tony was. Whirling in terror, she tried to wake him, but he was gone, and when she looked up, Maria stood before her, dressed in white, her hands out, silently rebuking Anita, tears running down her face. An avenging angel. _No! Maria I'm sorry, sorry, Maria, listen! Don't look at me, don't look..I won't look! _Then, everything went black. There was a crack of gunshot, and then silence. As her sight returned, Anita saw Maria stood still, alone, her hands at her sides. _Maria, speak! _Suddenly, she dropped like a stone, falling backwards. Dead. And when Anita looked down her hands, she screamed. She was holding a gun. 

She had shot the angel.

~~~~~

Anybodys knelt in the rain, weeping over Tony's body. 

Alone, frightened, she knelt over his still corpse and howled, her cries mingling with the rain. 

Someone was behind her. 

Sensing a presence, she turned, heart frozen. 

It was Chino, head bowed. He looked down at her, and the way his eyes met hers absolved him of all guilt. Although in her waking life she would have killed him sooner than touch him, she let him pull her up. She closed her eyes, and tears fell. Then softly, softer than the lightest brush of sunlight, or the ripple of air left by a birds gliding wing, she felt his kisses, small and gentle, cold with the rain and her tears, all over her face. They were exploratory, yet comforting, as if she'd lived her whole life afraid this moment would never come. 

His head dipped to cover her cheeks, eyes, mouth and neck, and his caresses were like those of a puppy, sweet and gentle, mournful and sorry. Suddenly, his lips were on hers, and a tiny gasp escaped her lips… she had never been kissed like this before. Her heart ached, and as he kissed her gently, her head went to his shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," she replied.

She had kissed the murderer.

~~~~~

Action rolled over in his sleep as Anybodys stirred, a happy smile on her peaceful face. His eyes opened, and he blinked blearily into the daylight. Doc had left his chair, and the birds were singing somewhere. 

"I love you," Anybodys repeated, the last fragments of her dream clinging to her as her slumber moved on. Action looked at her, a flutter in his heart he scarcely dared to acknowledge.

"Are you-" he wondered half aloud, half in silent prayer, "dreaming-about ME?"


	7. Find a Way of Forgiving

"Wake up, hey, Anybodys, wake up

"Wake up, hey, Anybodys, wake up! Breakfast," 

Action was gently shaking her good hand. Anybodys blinked and yawned. She was in a strange little room, in a rickety bed beside two chairs, a large easy chair, which Action lay in, and an empty wooden one. She sat up jerkily then winced.  
"Where am I?" she asked, touching the unfamiliar shirt.

"Doc's," Action said, a piece of toast in his hand that he was hurriedly munching. "I brought you back here, last night… remember?" Anybodys nodded slowly, the events of the night returning to her in a haze.

"Yeah.." she said slowly. There was something else she wanted to remember, but she couldn't as yet. Suddenly, the scent of newly-buttered hot bread filled her nostrils. "Say, Action, could I have some of that?" 

Action grinned. "Doc's making a new plateful. He reckoned you'd be hungry." He looked approvingly at her. "Your eye looks better." Anybodys smiled.

"I'm a casual, I guess." She touched the eye gingerly, and recoiled at the uneven swellings. "Jeez, I must look great. What exactly happened?" There were gaps in her memories… as yet she couldn't remember how she'd got all these wounds. Action looked at her in concern… did she have concussion or something?

"You don't remember…the Puerto Ricans? What Chino did to Tony-" Chino! Anybodys dream flooded back to her. Tony-Chino. She had kissed him-how could she? _How?_ She pushed Action's proffered slice of toast away. "I ain't hungry no more," she murmured, and lay back slowly against the pillow. Action looked at her in concern. 

"Anybodys, tell me who hurt you, and I'll-" Action pounded his fists together menacingly. Anybodys hardly saw. The traitorous kiss with Chino was overwhelming her. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she slid with a low moan onto the floor.

"Anybodys! Anybodys!" She opened her eyes. Doc's worried, bloodshot blue eyes met hers, filled with fear. _You wouldn't care so much if you knew, _Anybodys thought, sickened. The light from the window hurt her eyes, and she turned her head weakly towards the safe gloom of the floor.

"Listen to me..do you need to go to a hospital? See a woman doctor?" Doc was asking. "Did one of the PRs…" Anybodys moaned. Her guilty conscience had only heard one word.

"I never did anything with no PR," she said softly. "I hate him, really… please.." 

"That does it!" Action yelled, and raced out the door. _He knows,_ Anybodys thought. _He knows about Chino. They think I'm mad…maybe I am…_

"Don't make me go to no hospital.. please, I don't need a doctor, really!" Doc looked dubiously at her.   
"Anybodys, please!"

"I'm fine…leave me alone! Please!" She thrashed impotently against him.

"I have to find Action," Doc said, indecisively, leaving the room. Anybodys fell back onto the bed, and cried to the empty ceiling. When her sobs passed, there was only silence. She sat up and wiped her nose tearfully on the red shirt. Silence.

Hardly knowing what she did, she got up and walked to Doc's closet. Rummaged through the boxes and bags of junk. Her own, ripped jeans would have to do; Doc's heavy grey trousers were too large. The red shirt was too distinctive… quickly, she removed it, and pulled on a pale blue, the oldest she could find. She had no sneakers…where were they? Frantically, she searched the room and found them in a corner.. beside Action's cap.

"Sorry, Action," she murmured, and slipped it on, pulling it low over her black eye. Her strands of red hair she pushed into the hat with her good hand, already heading for the door. Hesitantly, she made her way into the store, checking through the windows that the street was empty. Finding only silence, she snatched a sheet of paper lying on the counter, and scrawled on it in a left-handed scribble.

FIND A WAY OF FORGIVING Anybodys.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the empty room, then darted out into the street, heading straight down the steps into the basement yard. Stealthily, she checked the deserted sidewalk, sleepily quiet in the morning light and birdsong, stretching to left and right; Shark and Jet territory. Fear of Anita kept her going one way, her guilty conscience and the thought of meeting the gang the other. Better to die at a PR's hand than at Action's- and surely that was inevitable if he _did_ know about her dream. Anybodys had always worshipped Action as a Leader and an Aceman… in seemed inconceviable that there was anything he didn't know about her. Well, apart from _one_ thing. But never mind. Anybodys brushed the clouds from her mind and turned left. The thought of encountering the Sharks no longer scared her. _Well, you're in love with one, aren't you? _Her traitorous mind told her. 

"No, I'm not," Anybodys said, suddenly afraid and shaky.

"I'm NOT. NOT, NOT, NOT!" She repeated, but nausea was rising in her mouth. She gave a choked sob and just about made it to the gutter before she began to vomit. 

"I don't love him… I hate him, I HATE HIM," She repeated, as the green bile turned to blood. "I HATE him…"


	8. Little Voices

When she woke up, she was lying in the gutter, feeling, if anything, even worse than when she had passed out

When she woke up, she was lying in the gutter, feeling, if anything, even worse than when she had passed out. It had been raining slightly, and the grime that had settled on her skin was tidemarked by raindrops that left little white patches in the yellow crust of her skin. She sat up slowly, unevenly, squinting painfully into the climbing sunlight. Stabbing shots of sickening pain swam around her skull, and she tenuously removed one hand from her mouth. Blood and vomit were grotesquely mingled between her fingers. She was lying in the shadow of a side-alley, still, the streets were empty. A lone passer-by suddenly broke the silence with her clicking heels. Instinctively, Anybodys shot back into the shadow, the unconsidered effort leaving her giddy. When her eyes refocused, she saw a PR girl - Rosalia - walking through the streets, glancing to right and left. As soon as she turned away, Anybodys crawled behind some crates, and huddled there, watching through the slats of wood.

Rosalia turned around - she was looking for someone. _Help, it's me! _Anybodys panicked, and held her breath. To her immense relief, Rosalia's shoulders slumped, and she gave a whistle.

"No luck, querida. She has vanished," Rosalia called to someone behind her. Anybodys shifted her position behind the debris to try and spot Rosalia's companion. 

"Aie!" Anybodys froze in terror - it was Anita's voice. The tall Shark girl walked forwards, a wreck of her former beauty. Her dress was stained - with my blood, Anybodys thought, sickened. Her hair was scraped back into a knot, matted tangles still visible. There was a hole in one stocking. Anybodys saw Rosalia's face alter with mingled revulsion and pity at Anita's appearance. Quickly, the younger Shark darted forwards to slip a shawl over Anita's unkempt head and shoulders. The long waves of material extended over her dress, hiding the worst of the stains. She looked hunched and ancient in the ghoulish light, as Rosalia led her gently on. Anita's mumblings floated through the air to Anybodys, becoming fainter as time passed.

"What if she's dead- I never meant to hurt her- didn't know I had… but when she insulted Nardo…Nardo was my love… you understand, don't you, Maria?" 

"Rosalia." Rosalia corrected her gently. Anita's head shook miserably. 

__

They still haven't found Maria, Anybodys realised. _And what did Doc and Action mean about "a meeting"? _She cautiously crawled out from behind the boxes as the two girls vanished. Her heart, she realised, ached to return to the Jets. _No way, sister. You're getting out of here, remember? _

Anybodys sighed. Her head ached, and she was feeling too confused to think straight. _How can I get out of here? _she wondered. _No money. _Unsteadily, she wiped her nose on her good hand, and glanced at the streets. Suddenly, her heart lurched. _Jets. _The wall opposite her was covered in Jet graffiti… _wow, I never knew we… they… made it so far into PR land. _With a half-smile, she cautiously darted across the road, onto the opposite sidewalk. Gently, she traced the chalk outlines of the slogans and cartoons all around her. The largest, a proud boast in blue and green, brought a rueful smile to her bruised and painful jaws.

"Riff," she whispered, caressing the brick on which he had written. Suddenly, with a shuddering sigh, she threw herself against the wall, leaning with her cheek on the final F. 

"Oh, Riff, you don't know how I miss you, now. Everything's gone wrong." She glanced down at her trembling hands, and sniffed apologetically. "You know - about Chino, and me?" She kicked the lower bricks. "I don't mean it… honestly… it was just a stupid dream. Like I could ever love the one who…" her words faded away, and she turned away from the wall, and started to plunge down a nearby street. Blood flashed black into her find, and she had inclinations to vomit. Her head told her to RUN, but her heart slowed her feet. She slumped into the shadows of a stairwell, and stood there, panting. 

"What now?" she asked herself, eyes closed against the painful sunlight. Two little voices were bickering inside her head. _Man, I'm cracking up._

****

Look, babes, just GET OUT OF HERE. You're better off out of all this, y'know. You don't need Action. What's done is done.

__

Ignore her. If you don't need Action then why can't you stop thinking about him, and wondering what happened at that meeting last night?

****

Don't waste time - you have to get out. Get some money - do you want to end up like Tony? Think what the Jets would do if they knew about your dream. Do you REALLY think the fighting will stop.

__

You've got to risk it. Only cowards run away. Think about Maria.

****

Maria?? What's she got to do with the price of one-way air tickets to the End of the Earth?

__

Who's going to look after her now?

****

NOT YOUR PROBLEM.

__

You were Tony's friend, right?

****

I don't like the sound of this.

__

You tried to look after Tony. Tony tried to look after Maria. Both of you failed. 

****

STOP RIGHT THERE.

__

You love Tony. Tony loves Maria. Tony probably feels bad 'bout leaving Maria. Wants someone to look after her…

****

Yeah, I've lost. Wait for it - let me join in this last line…

__

It's what he would have wanted.

Jesus Christ, Anybodys thought. I'm loopy. She half-smiled, and mentally thanked the two bickering alter egos currently inhabiting her skull. They were probably right. She had to keep the peace Tony had fought for.

Gingerly, she leant forwards, back into the warmth of the morning sun, then froze.

"Hey - Snowboy!" A Jet voice called, behind her. For a terrifying second she thought she'd been mistaken for her least favourite gang member, but then a voice answered, and she realised the two boys were the other side of the wall. As noiselessly as she could, she flattened herself against the bricks to listen. 

"You seen Action this morning?"

"Nah… not since he left the meeting last night…"

"He shoulda stayed."

"He shoulda stayed? I dunno how he hacked it for so long! Them PRs…"

"Didn't you learn anything? Riff, Tony, Anybodys, all three dead -"

WHAT? Anybodys gaped in astonishment. Dead?

"Cut it, Baby John. I got business."

"Business?" A pause. "What business?"

The sound of rustling denim. A gasp from Baby John. "No, Snowboy -no!"

"I have to!" Footfall, dying away, slow and steady - then the patter of more feet.

"Snowboy, wait!" The dying treads increased in speed as Snowboy put a block between him and his pursuer. Anybodys buried her head in her hands. Her horror at Snowboy's words heightened her morbid need to know what had happened between the Jets and Sharks. Where was Tony's body? Where were those of Riff and… well, try as she might, looking down at the scars his girlfriend had left on her body, she found it very hard to care whether Bernardo was lying in state or rotting in a ditch.

OK, she bargained with herself. Sort out the Jets. Take care of Maria. _Then_ go. You owe it to Tony.

****

No you don't. Think of how he treated you. OK, he was upset. But even when he wasn't upset - did he really care? Really?

Don't be silly. Of course he cared, Anybodys told herself, hugging her knees. You're only thinkin' like this cos you're hungry… light-headed. Get some food down ya. _Yes, Mama. _Anybodys grinned, then winced at the swollen muscles in her jaw. She sounded like a mother. Not her mother, obviously. But still, she felt like a mother - a mother to the sorry mess Tony, Riff, and Bernardo had orphaned with their three deaths.

Which reminded her - the Jets seemed to think she was dead. Better check that one out too.


	9. Alive and Kicking or The Bonehouse

Before she had time to change her mind, Anybodys quickly made her way back towards the playground

Before she had time to change her mind, Anybodys quickly made her way back towards the playground. The noise of sirens pierced the air, and for a minute her feet told her to run. Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath, and continued. A police car was at the scene, Schrank evidently taking more notes on the events of the night before. His expression was tense and angry - and a little afraid. No wonder. The atmosphere was dreadful. Jets and Sharks stood listlessly around him; no longer segregated, but not truly together. The atmosphere was fraught with mistrust. Fearfully surveying them, Anybodys saw that several were missing; Anita, Maria, Doc, Action, Baby John and Snowboy. She heard a voice, and realised A-rab was standing behind Schrank, pleading with him.

"C'mon - you gotta tell us. What's happenin wit' Chino?"

Schrank looked at him.

"You a relative?" he asked sullenly. A-rab spread his arms in frustration.

"Do I look like one?" he cried. Schrank sighed heavily, and put down his notebook, turning to address the crowd.

"O.K, listen up, people. I'm gonna ask this once civilly, and if you wanna keep ya dignity, you'll do as I say. We need the body of Anton - how d'you pronounce this? Polak."

"Don't ya call him a Polak? What's wrong wit' bein' one anyway?" Big Deal called. Schrank glowered.

"Shuddup. We need the body of the kid shot here last night. For a post-mortem." The horrified cries and groans rose up and threatened to overpower the policeman. "It ain't open to negotiation!" he called, trying to shout them down. Rosalia darted forwards.

"You know how it happened - how he die! What more you want? We kee- por favore…" She gestured brokenly at the cruel Lt, to cheers from the crowd. The Jet girls came forward to join her.

"You tell 'em, Rosie!" 

Schrank glowered.

"I'd keep schtum if I was you, gold tooth. That just reminded me. We also need Bernardo's body. So go dig him out of whatever PR bonehouse you got him stuffed into, and bring him here." He pushed his face into her's. "I won't be such a gentleman next time I ask you.." He slid his hand around her waist, when Velma dived into break it up.

"Let go of her-"

"Oh, very nice. We also need your jackass boyfriend. Where is he?" Velma's eyes widened, and she moved protectively in front of Rosalia.

"You won't take him!" Several of the boys dived forwards, swinging punches at Schrank, who undeterred, lifted Velma off her feet.

"C'mon, Velma. Which Chapel of Rest is he in? He's not at home, we checked all that. Or is he at the morgue already? Did ya lay 'im out like some lousy Spic?-"

"You know what happened - we don't want anyone charged, LET ME GO!"

"Really? Well his parents seem to say different…"

"He don't live with his parents!" Velma screamed. Furious at being caught out, Schrank hit the struggling girl across the face. The mob surged forwards, Velma's cries rising above the chaos as she was bundled into a police car. A diminutive figure raced through the doors, standing stupefied at the chaos. 

"Baby John!" Anybodys broke away from the crowd and ran to him.

"Anybodys…. Anybodys! We thought…" She clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Cut it, you fool. Where are the bodies? Where is Snowboy? Where is Maria? Tell me quietly."

"We're gonna bury them, ourselves.." Baby John bleated. Anybodys glared at him, and he continued quickly. "Snowboy - gee, Anybodys, he's gone! He won't forgive the PRs… and no-one can find Maria…. D'ya think Snowboy went after her? Maybe she went back ter Puerto Rico!" Baby John said, incredulously. Anybodys longed to shake him.

"Ya stupid punk. Of course Snowboy's gone after Maria!" Suddenly, she had a thought. "Where is Tony?" 

Baby John appeared reticent.

"Last night…"

"C'mon, ashtray head. Spill."

"Last night, there was a meeting, OK? Big Deal, and some of us Jets, tried to work out a peace deal with the Sharks. Maria was in charge… it was goin' really well, but some of us were jus' so cut up 'bout Tony… Snowboy was da worst."

"Snowboy?"

"Yeah. He wouldn't listen. Maria tried to hush him up, but then he said, "How would you know, you're s'posed to be dead already! Ya should be dead. Tony's dead cause a'you!" Well, then Maria went all white, asked him what he meant. Action tried to get him to shut up, but Maria made him go on, and so… Snowboy told her everything about Anita. What we did to her… and what she told us. Then, Maria - she went sorta mad, and cried out for Anita. Course, she wasn't there. Maria cried, and cried, mad as hell, threw herself at Action. We were all so tired… Action couldn't stand it, Kate - I mean, Anybodys, he just blew off and took off. Into the dark." 

Baby John shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "We're tryin' to make things work, honest. But, it's just so… hard." He looked up at her. "They're all laid out at the Catholic chapel off East 12are at Maria's home." Anybodys smiled at him.

"Bless ya." She turned to go.

"Hey, buddy. If you see Action.."

"Yeah?"

"Stop him. Whatever he's doin'." 

"Whaddya mean - hey, Baby John!"

"Yeah."

"Don't tell the others I'm alive and kicking. Not yet." 

"O.K. Why?"

"I… I'm not gonna hang around." Her eyes returned guiltily to the outline on the ground. Again, she thought of Chino's kisses. _Oh God. _Baby John followed her gaze, and squeezed her hand.

"Gee, Anybodys, I know you miss him.." Anybodys recoiled guiltily at his touch. Baby John backed away. What Action said musta been true. Poor Anybodys… A little bit of anger stirred inside him. Sure, they'd all been mean to her, but even so.. Riff wouldn't'a stood for any PR scum touching her like that. No way. He looked at her departing form, and thought proudly that he'd managed to avoid mentioning her bruises. Her face looked awful. 

Anybodys took every short cut she knew to make it to Maria's church. Even though she tried to stay calm, seeing the playground had brought back too many memories for her eyes to remain dry. _Stop it,_ she told herself angrily, and plunged down yet another alleyway. As the shadow of the church became visible, she squinted through the midday sunlight and the bitter irony of it all ate away at her soul. Three boys, two bitter and deadly enemies, yet all of the same faith; all lain out together. Fervently, she hoped Snowboy hadn't made it to Maria first. And WHERE were Doc, Action and Anita? Suddenly, she halted. A strange chill passed over her, and for a second she was so cold she could barely breathe. A flashback - to the dream. Anybodys leant unsteadily against the wall for a second, eyes tightly shut against the vision. When it cleared she righted herself and ran, without further ado, towards the church.


End file.
